New classes introduced for next year
Festivus assembly canceled, lunchtime activities continue By Kea Hudson Staff Writer
By Madison Amido Staff Writer Five new classes will be offered at South Pasadena High School during the 2013-2014 school year including Calculus, Algebra 1, Honors Chemistry, AP Computer Science, and tentatively AP Statistics. AP Computer Science will serve as a UC-approved “G” elective and will be taught by Mr. Garrett Shorr. Assistant Principal of Instruction Ms Ginger Merritt is now in the process of selecting new computers, buying desks, and creating a new lab for the course. “I have a training week atStanford in July. AP Comp Sci teachers throughout the country will go to learn how to implement the class,” Mr. Shorr said. “Computer Science teaches basic programming principles using Java; it’s essentially problem solving, logic, and math.” Calculus will cover the same material as AP Calculus but will focus on practical applications and hands-on projects. The math department is currently developing the curriculum and deciding on a teacher. The math department will also offer Algebra 1, which covers content found in both Algebra A and B in one year. Honors Chemistry will be introduced as an alternative class to Chemistry and AP Chemistry. According to Merritt, only 21 students have requested to take the AP Statistics course so far. The class was not offered in the 2012-2013 school year due to a lack of enrollment, and its fate for the 2013-2014 school year has not been decided. “I can say honestly that every class we added to the schedule or course requests will better serve students,” Ms Merritt said.
Anastasia Velicescu
Current Commissioner of Spirit senior Lauren Riley embraces her successor junior Natalie Crepo. See Page 4 for additional coverage.
Second runoff finalizes 2013-2014 Commission By Andrew Shults Staff Writer The 2013-2014 commission was finalized on Wednesday after a second round of runoff elections. After three weeks of campaigning, Andrea Rogando was elected Commissioner of Correspondence and Ronald Tyler Halley was voted Commissioner of Athletics. The South Pasadena High School Associated Student Body implemented a new online voting system this year that allowed students to vote either in the library or on internet capable devices.
“We switched to online voting to increase voter turnout, to make it easier on the student body, and to be more eco-friendly, said current Comissioner of Spirit senior Lauren Riley. “We had the highest number of voters since Mr. Shotwell first became activities director in 2001.” To be elected Commissioner, a student must earn more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate takes a majority, the top two or three candidates participate in a run-off election. A second round of runoffs is held for the top two candidates if there is still no majority. See “Commission” on Page 2
Seniors receive $10,000 Oneonta scholarships By Emily Markese Staff Writer The Oneonta Club Foundation of South Pasadena announced seniors Sofi Goode, Natalie McLain, and Nick O’Brien as the recipients of its scholarship awards on April 17. Each of the students will receive a $10,000 scholarship grant that will go towards their college tuition next year. “I was ecstatic just to be in the top ten, primarily because of the amount of respect I held for the other students I had been grouped with,” McLain said. “When Mr. [Carl] von Bibra called me to tell me I was one of the recipients, I legitimately started to cry a little just because I was so shocked and happy. It probably wasn’t
the most professional response, but I think it pretty effectively summed up how overjoyed I was.” Applicants were required to
submit a letter to the Foundation explaining why they deserve the scholarship. See “Oneonta Scholarship” on Page 2
Rachael Garner
Seniors Sofi Goode, Nick O’Brien, and Natalie McLain earned the Oneonta Club scholarship. Each will be awarded $10,000 for college tuition.
lecting students who attend school on CST testing days and calling them up to the patio at lunch to receive prizes, including gift cards, stuffed animals, and t-shirts shot out of the t-shirt cannon. “Festivus takes some of the sting out of testing,” Anderson said. “We want to show our appreciation for all of the students’ hard work and to encourage everyone to do their best.” Freshman Laura Mendenhall won a Target gift card in the lunchtime raffle on Tuesday. “I think it’s really neat that every student has the opportunity to win a prize,” Mendenhall said. “Testing is definitely not fun, but sharing lunch with friends and festivities can help you get through the week.”
The annual Festivus assembly, traditionally hosted by Principal Ms Janet Anderson in the week before the California Standardized Testing to motivate students, will not be held this year. “Unfortunately, we were not able to pull the assembly together,” Anderson said. “Rather than do a rush job, we’ve decided to take a year off from the assembly.” Although the assembly was canceled, the motivational lunchtime festivities will still take place on the Tiger Patio throughout the testing period. Counselor Ms Maria Long and teachers Ms Denise Gill, Ms Kim Kadletz, Mr. Ian Merrick, and Mr. Shane Mills are scheduled to guest DJ. Ms Patricia Wylie is one of several teachers in charge of the activities on the Tiger Patio, helping to oversee a hula hooping competition between different grade levels. “A little friendly competition helps lift the students’ spirits after a long testing period,” Wylie said. “Life is a hula Anastasia Velicescu hoop—enjoy the swivel.” In addition, An- Principal Janet Anderson and Counselor derson is randomly se- Ms Maria Long fire the t-shirt cannon.
Kim Kadletz nominated for Teacher of the Year By Remeny White News Editor English teacher Ms Kim Kadletz was named the South Pasadena High School 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year yesterday. The award acknowledges excellence and effectiveness in classroom instruction and recognizes professional development in the school and the community. Ms Kadletz teaches Freshman English, Honors Freshman English, and Honors Sophomore English. She also founded the Advanced Placement English Language class at SPHS in 2004. “Ms Kadletz is one of those teachers who pushes you so much, you end up doing really well in her class. I mean, it goes without saying that her class is challenging—which I am sure is her goal—but I feel extremely prepared for the trials and tribulations that AP [Language] will bring next year,” sophomore Honors English student Yvette Tanner said.
“She manages to make learning legitimately fun and entertaining.” SPHS teachers and staff voted for the Teacher of the Year during the faculty meeting on April 23. The school nominees from each of the five schools in the South Pasadena Unified School District will be sent to the district administrators, and one will advance to the next level of recognition. Kadletz is following in the footsteps of science teacher Mr. Paul Groves, who was nominated in 2010 and became a state finalist, and social studies teacher Ms Maryann Nielsen, who also advanced to the state level this year. “Obviously this is a great honor. I think all teachers, especially at SPHS, feel like they work hard all year round, and they do, so to be singled out is very exciting. I don’t know what the future holds in terms of this competition, but I am ready for and enthusiastic about it,” Kadletz said.
News 2 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
News
Around Campus
Virtual Business applications for the 2013-2014 competition season are now available. Turn in completed forms to room 513 by May 17. See Virtual Enterprise Advisor Ms Cathy Mason for any questions. Current Virtual Business members will conduct the interviews, which will begin on May 28. /Remeny White
Groups announced for annual Yosemite trip
By Andrés García Staff Writer Seniors embarking on the annual Yosemite Institute in May congregated in room 211 on April 24 for an informational meeting regarding equipment and gear. The meeting told students what supplies they should bring to the four-day, three-night backpacking trip. The five hiking groups were also revealed and the seniors were able to meet with their groups and their advisors for the first time. “I’m really excited about my group,” senior Josh Thomas said. “The advisors split everyone up into groups with people that don’t normally talk to each other. I think a lot of people were skeptical of the idea, but everyone was really happy and excited when they met up with their groups. It’s going to be a lot of fun getting to know everyone on a more personal level.” The trip has been a standing tradition at SPHS for over 30 years, formally founded by science teacher Mr. Greg Ring. This year,
Mr. Casey Shotwell, Mr. Joshua Whitney, Mr. Shane Mills, Ms Audrey Toth, and Mr. Don Wielenga will serve as the trip advisors. “It’s a right-of-passage trip,” Whitney said. “It’s a lot more than just a school trip. Each person can discover something different. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with nature, and get to know new people. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to get to know yourself outside of your comfort zone.” In preparation for the trip, students were required to attend morning and afternoon conditioning workouts to ensure that they can handle the rigor of the daily Yosemite hikes. The seniors will embark on hiking trips on local trails before setting off for Yosemite National Park on May 19. “I am beyond excited for this trip,” senior Betty Soibel said. “Yosemite is one of the defining traits of senior year, and I have been looking forward to this since I was a freshman. Getting to know the seniors on a more personal level will definitely be a great way to end my last year of high school.”
Rachael Garner
Mr. Whitney speaks during the informational Yosemite meeting on April 23. The seniors and advisors leave for the trip on May 19. From “Oneonta Scholarship” on Page 1 Ten finalists were then interviewed and three were chosen as the final recipients. “The winners are usually, but not always, very good students. For instance, it is entirely possible for a senior with a passion for music to be selected who did not rank near the top of the class academically. Typically, the winner will have achieved or pursued an activity in a passionate way and will present themselves well to the interviewing committee,” von Bibra said. The winners will attend the Oneonta Club’s award dinner on May 13, 2013 to receive their scholarship. “This award means that I have been chosen to represent all that the community of South Pasadena stands for while in college. I plan on taking advantage of the many academic, extracurricular, and social aspects of college in order to represent South Pasadena well,” O’Brien said.
2013 prom preparations underway By Shine Cho Assoc. News Editor
Diane Huang
Expedition members seniors Tyler Armstrong, Diane Huang, and Charlie Gleeson competed in New York City from April 9 to 11.
Virtual Business teams travel to New York City By Shyam Senthilkumar Copy Editor Select members of South Pasadena High School Virtual Enterprise flew to New York City to participate in the annual Youth Business Summit from April 9 to 11. Representatives from two of SPHS’s three teams, Expedition and Cilk, competed in the Global Business Challenge, Business Plan, Trade Fair, Catalog and Website competitions. On the first day of competition, seniors Ashim Shrestha, Ella Hardy, Tyler Armstrong and Thomas Chang participated in the Global Business Challenge, competing on teams composed of students from around the country. Hardy and Shrestha placed second and third respectively. The Business Plan Competition took place the following day, but neither Expedition’s team nor Cilk’s team placed in the event. “It’s a shame we did not make it to the final round so we could have presented in front of everyone, but life goes on,” Kahn
said. “The final product of our Business Plan was really a culmination of our entire company’s hard work and intellect. We brought everything we had to the New York competition, and I’m really proud of us.” Cilk placed first and fourth in the Website and Catalog competitions, respectively. Expedition succeeded in placing first in Catalog and third in Website design. “While it was disappointing that neither Business Plan team made the finals, I was proud of the accomplishments of my tech team, especially Kyle Young for placing first in the website competition,” Cilk’s Chief Technology Officer, senior Sean Ma said. The Trade Fair, where teams get to showcase and market their virtual business product and engage in commerce with their peers, took place on the final day. Expedition’s trade fair booth was selected in the top ten; no rankings were assigned for this competition. The New York competition concluded the 2012-2013 Virtual Business season.
Math teachers report to School Board By Shine Cho Assoc. News Editor South Pasadena High School teachers Ms Liana Gunakan, Ms Trang Huynh, and Mr. Ian Merrick spoke at the district school board meeting on April 16
to report on implementation of financial literacy in their classroom curricula. Merrick emphasized the usefulness of his Applied Math course, where students learn how to properly fill out tax forms, apply for credit cards, and open bank ac-
Matt Winkel
Teachers Ms Liana Gunakan, Ms Trang Huynh, and Mr. Ian Merrick discussed financial literacy at the April 16 School Board meeting.
counts while touching upon basic mathematical concepts. “The question of, ‘Why do we need to know this?’ does not come up a lot in Applied Math as they do in my other math classes,” Merrick said. Huynh teaches personal and business finance in her economics course by utilizing a virtual stock market game competition. Finance course teacher Gunakan also focuses on personal finance by teaching individual saving and investing. “The idea that students graduate high school not only ready for college, but having some idea of all the [practical] matters, is extremely beneficial [to the students],” Board President David Adelstein said. The district Board of Education will consider adding courses that specifically pertain to practical financial literacy at South Pasadena High School in the future.
Over the past few weeks, the junior class officers have been rigorously preparing for this year’s masquerade themed prom, “An Evening in Venice.” The dance is scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at the Skirball Cultural Center from 7:00 P.M. until midnight. “We have been busy going through standard prom procedure, which entails promoting and selling tickets, securing our vendors, and double checking our decorations,” junior class president Josh Ma said. The junior class officers coordinated with Friar Tux Shop in Alhambra to host a promotional prom fashion show on Monday, April 15 during lunch on the Tiger Patio. Ten upperclassmen couples walked the red carpet in their best attire and masquerade masks. “After revealing the prom venue, we didn’t get the sort of response we wanted,” junior class secretary Brennan Yu said. “But I can tell you that it is an amazing site for a unique night. The officers and I really hope that the students will enjoy prom as we near the end of the year.” Tickets will be on sale until May 10 for $85 SAC, $95 non-SAC, and $100 Out-OfTowner in the Student Bank during lunch. “The masquerade theme seems like it has great potential to be lively and exciting,” junior Naomi Broder said. “I have heard how lovely the site is, especially at night, from numerous people, so I am very excited to go.” From “Commission” on Page 1 “After a stressful week, it felt great to know that everything paid off in the end. I am looking forward to working with my fellow commissioners to make next year amazing and memorable,” newly elected Commissioner of School and Community junior Jeffrey Xiong said. Current Commissioner of Internal Affairs senior Peter Seo was in charge of the election process. “I am fully aware of the leadership potential of next year’s commissioners and am extremely excited for them. They’ve done a fantastic job campaigning and have shown me their passion and commitment towards our school and individual positions,” Seo said. See page 4 for a full list of the 2013-2014 Associated Student Body Commission.
News
Friday, April 26, 2013 - Tiger
3
South Pasadena implements new Autism Awareness Club energy-efficient pumping system raises $300 for donation By Madison Amido Staff Writer
By Jason Wang Business Manager
The City of South Pasadena is ranked fourth in the San Gabriel Valley as an energy leader model after implementing energy-efficient products throughout the city. Ms Mary Ann Lutz, Mayor of Monrovia and Vice President for the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, presented the South Pasadena City Council with a symbolic incentive check from Southern California Edison in the amount of $20,573. During the April 17 meeting, Lutz thanked the council for upgrading the booster pump system at the Wilson Reservoir and for taking other efforts in becoming a more energyefficient city. South Pasadena replaced Wilson Reservoir’s former pump apparatus with a highly efficient and effective moving system to transport water. Lutz provided a detailed breakdown on the project’s impact on the city. “This project has saved your city over 200,000 kilowatts,” Lutz said. “It results in a cost savings to your city of more than $30,000 and this year the project resulted in an 11% improvement in the gallons that
The Autism Awareness Cub at South Pasadena High School raised nearly $300 worth of donations last week for Autism Speaks in honor of National Autism Awareness Month. Club members set up a table on the Tiger Patio and took donations from students during lunch. “It was great to bring awareness to the entire student body,” said club president and founder junior Arthur Puu. “A lot more people than expected willingly donated.” Autism Awareness works alongside Autism Speaks, a nonprofit organization that sponsors medical research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at educating the public about the disorder.
Siria Medina
Members of the South Pasadena City Council listened to Ms Mary Ann Lutz as she presented an energy-efficiency incentive check from Southern California Edison on April 17. you were able to pump, and a 22% improvement in overall plant efficiency.” In addition to switching to an energy-efficient pumping system at the reservoir, the city has also installed a cool roof at the public library, converted pedestrian signals and red and green traffic lights to LED lights, and converted 42 high-pressure sodium vapor street lights to LED lights. “These projects have resulted in a total energy savings of more than 500,000 kilowatt hours since 2009,” Lutz said. “South Pasadena has been a leader in this energy efficiency, using a variety of projects to en-
gage with many of your departments and that demonstrates your commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability.” Out of the 34 cities that comprise the San Gabriel Valley, South Pasadena is the fourth city to advance to the gold level as an energy leader model. The city council hopes to reach the platinum level in the future. At the beginning of the meeting, cast members of South Pasadena High School’s performance of Sweeney Todd sang in a special number to promote the upcoming play. Tickets can be purchased at sphs.asb.org for the April 26, 27, May 3 or 4, performance dates.
Club members participated in Walk Now for Autism Speaks on April 20. The event is held annually at the Rose Bowl and boasts nearly three thousand participants yearly. The students walked a 3-mile loop around the Rose Bowl alongside individuals diagnosed with autism. “Different groups had personalized posters to show their support for loved ones with autism,” said junior Michael Chang. “There was a lot of energy among both walkers and the people cheering for them.” Puu started the Autism Awareness club three years ago when he discovered that SPHS did not have an organization to educate people about the disorder. In the future, he hopes to educate the student body by hosting an assembly with a representative from Autism Speaks.
Arthur Puu
Juniors Mason Puu, Jason Wang, Arthur Puu, and Michael Chang gathered on April 20 for Walk Now for Autism Speaks.
4 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Commission Elections
Commission Elections 2013-2014
After three weeks of intense campaigning, the final 13 Associated Student Body commissioners were announced on Wednesday. Despite the fierce competition between the 38 candidates, the nature of the election was one of friendly camaraderie. Three weeks of campaigning and 2,260 total votes brought the candidates together in an unprecedented display of unity. Left: Juniors Jake Sim and Julius Lam hug after being told they were in a runoff election for Commissioner of Clubs. Page by Sofi Goode. Text by Brandon Kim. Reporting by Brandon Kim and Kealia Hudson. Photos by Sophia Arriola, Rachael Garner, and Matt Winkel. Illustraton by Annie Lu.
The Commissioners General
Assembly Speeches “During this whole process, I faced some of my biggest fears and I did things that I thought I could never do. I learned to be more creative, with my Up references, Andrea badges, and wilderness explorer flag pens. I had to muster every ounce of confidence I had to dress up as a little boy while giving a speech in front of the entire school.” ~Andrea Rogando, Correspondence
“With so many candidates and factors drawing people’s focus, I sought to limit my campaign, and focus on making an impression with my speech. Armed with some selfdeprecatory humor, and a touch of childhood quintessence, I think I achieved that. My message is simple: let’s work together to benefit our school and community!” ~Jeffrey Xiong, S&C
“It’s a lot of fun for us to go out of our comfort zones and talk to people we might never have talked to before, but campaigning and not knowing the results makes the candidates very anxious. This year I was unopposed so I did not have to campaign, but I have tremendous respect for all of the candidates.” ~Michael Chang, General
“The pants idea came to me because I wanted to show that I was relatable and comfortable enough with myself to make a fool of myself in front of the entire school. It got people’s attention and added humor to my serious speech. I also learned that everyone has an opinion at our school and I admire that.” ~ Emily Figueroa, Internal Affairs
Electronic Voting
Michael Chang
Internal Affairs
Jason Wang
Correspondence
Andrea Rogando
Finance
Patricia San Pedro
Academics
Kealia Hudson
Activities
Rachael Garner
Assemblies Athletics Clubs
Marcy Kuo Ronald Tyler Halley Jake Sim
Noontime
Derek Wang
Publicity
Siria Medina
School & Community
Jeffrey Xiong
Spirit
Natalie Crespo
For the first time, voting for commission elections was done online. Students could access sphsasb.org from any computer or mobile device to complete their ballot. “More than 60% of the student body [voted] in the library or their individual smart phones,” said current Commissioner of Internal Affairs senior Peter Seo. “That is 10% improvement from last year’s voting turnout, as well as 100% savings of ballot paper.”
Pro
Con
“In this day of easy Internet access, smart phones, and tech-savvy students, I think it is brilliant that students can vote for ASB officers online. Voting at a specific spot on a ScanTron seems unnecessarily antiquated now.” ~ Mr. Paul Groves
“An institution that discourages cell phone use during the normal school day cannot allow voting to happen on mobile devices. Kids become distracted and class time is interrupted. [Students] should go to the library themselves and vote in person.” ~ Stanley Wu, 10
920 voted in primary election 761 voted in first runoff election
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Opinion
Opinion
5
Yeah Boi
B
o o to the Weldon Award Committee for not being more l i k e H a r r y P o t t e r. Yo u h a v e a giant, silver goblet. Why are there no flames coming out of it?
B
ravo to the school for making soap in the bathrooms a viable campaign option for ASB hopefuls. My hands now smell like various fruit flavors as opposed to the usual fermented hand-sanitizer scent.
B
By Sofi Goode Editor-in-Chief
to senior Austin Chee for having abs that look like they were PhotoShopped by God.
B
oo
to the weather at the senior pool party. You’d think after three consecutive years of cold, cloudy days, ASB would get the message that the pool doesn’t want a large turnout any more than we want to turn up. ravo
The Tiger Established 1913
CSPA Gold Medalist 2005 CSPA Gold Medalist 2006 CSPA Gold Medalist 2009 CSPA Gold Medalist 2010 CSPA Gold Medalist 2011 Editor-in-Chief Sofi Goode Managing Editor Jessica Moog News Remeny White, Editor Shine Cho, Associate Opinion Natalie McLain, Editor Kira Gabriel, Associate Feature Rhian Moore, Editor Sarah Stukan, Associate Sports Christian Miyamae, Co-editor Clem Witherall, Co-editor Copy Editors Amber Laird, Shyam Senthilkumar, and Heather Vaughan Photography Rachael Garner, Editor Matthew Winkel, Associate Photographers Sophia Arriola, Siria Medina, Anastasia Velicescu Senior Staff Writer Kelsey Hess Staff Writers Madison Amido, Petra Barbu, Matt DeFulgentiis, Andrés García, Kea Hudson, Brandon Kim, Andrew Shults, Pooja Vyas, Jason Wang, Jenny Wang, Jordan Xiao, David Yang Tiger Online Writers Karen Hsueh, Talia Wun-Young Staff Illustrators Evan Davis, Rachael Lee, Annie Lu, Amanda Stewart Managers Marcy Kuo, Ads Jason Wang, Business Webmaster Michael Xu Faculty Advisor Mike Hogan
Vol. XCIX. No. VII distributed on April 26, 2013. Distribution: 1528 students; 70 community. 1600 copies printed. Distributed by Tiger staff free of charge. Tiger is produced by the advanced journalism newspaper class at South Pasadena High School, 1401 FremontAve, South Pasadena, CA 91030. Layout and photo imaging are completed on-site. Printed by American/Foothill Publishing Co., Inc., Tujunga, CA. Signed articles appearing in Tiger represent the writer’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, student body, faculty or administration of SPHS. Contact the publications office at (626) 441-5820 ext. 2615 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. for advertising rates and subscriptions. Tiger welcomes articles, letters or rebuttals for publication in the print and online editions. All letters must be signed and verifiable, but names will be withheld upon request. Tiger Newspaper’s mission is to provide a reliable news outlet for SPHS and the local community. Through a variety of coverage, Tiger empowers/enables students to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, solve problems, set and reach goals, and work cooperatively and independently as responsible citizens. Tiger is a forum for student free speech, in accordance with California Ed Code 48907. Visit Tiger Online at www.tigernewspaper.com for additional content.
Rachael Lee
Modified classes compromise the spirit of advanced placement Staff Editorial “AP” stands for “Advanced Placement.” True to its name, the AP curriculum offers accelerated courses that not all students can excel in. Most AP classes differentiate themselves from the regulars or honors classes by offering more difficult tests, more frequent labs, and a heavier workload. The College Board has announced changes set to take place in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. South Pasadena High School administration is changing specific science courses accordingly to mirror the future change. For chemistry, students considering AP will be strongly encouraged to first take an honors chemistry course which will be introduced next year. AP Physics B will be eliminated altogether and replaced by AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. The College Board has supported these changes on the grounds that they will foster more critical thinking and conceptual understanding. However, in doing so, College Board has left behind the original purpose of AP—to provide college-level classes for students who are willing to work and can handle the pressure of a class far beyond their grade. AP Physics has a decent system in place; all
of the material is covered in one year, and many students have little trouble in performing well on the exam. The extension of the course into two years defeats the purpose of the AP class. The change in curriculum is more understandable for classes such as AP chemistry, which typically has the highest percentage of sophomores of all APs at SPHS. Offering an introductory honors class will therefore serve as an easier introduction to the AP program. However, the highly recommended two-year plan for chemistry, and the breaking of AP Physics B into two separate blocks out students who might have the academic aptitude to understand the material in one year. It’s unfair to change curriculum and course structures, in a way that disallows students who want to and are ready to tackle the accelerated curriculum. College Board must work to make the AP curriculum more fitting for students who are ready to take on a challenge and schools must provide other difficult but less rigorous options for students who are not ready for AP classes. This way, a wide variety of needs will be met without slowing down AP curriculum to the point that the title “Advanced Placement” becomes ironic.
In April 1996, a group of students at the University of Virginia organized the first Day of Silence. The event served to “call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.” Since then, the grassroots movement has spread nationwide and has become the largest activism event for the young queer community and its allies. However, Day of Silence is inherently flawed. While it once drew attention to an oppressed community, the event now serves as an antiquated and false reminder that the most radical thing that queer youth can do is not talk. Even beyond the paradox of silence being both the result of oppression and the largest form of activism, Day of Silence fails on the most basic level. It does not foster understanding of the difficulties that queer youth face nor does it provide a safe space for queer people to come out and be accepted. A person being out about his or her sexuality is already widely deemed unacceptable, and in many parts of the world, unsafe. The last thing that the LGBT community needs is another excuse to silence queer youth. They are bullied and frightened into keeping silent, retreating inward, and in many incredibly unfortunate cases, committing suicide. Remaining silent for a day does not represent this inability and fear to express who you are. It is only an inconvenience, as participants must write everything down in order to communicate. To destroy the societal stigma against queer people, the world needs conversation. People need to communicate, deconstruct their prejudices, and understand that queer people are human just as straight, cisgendered people are. The world needs an opportunity to establish that LGBT members deserve equality and respect. This conversation and understanding cannot take place on a single day, and certainly not one in which all activists remain silent. In order for societal views and social prejudices to change, every day must be a day of activism. The LGBT community needs not silence, but a worldwide racket insisting that this societal stigma against being who you are disappears, and that queer people are given the respect that they deserve as human beings.
Blatant insensitivity towards special needs students By Natalie McLain Opinion Editor There is something vicious lurking in the hallways of South Pasadena High School: a basic lack of humanity of which the student body is at best completely ignorant and at worst smugly accepting. SPHS students like to think of their school, their campus, and themselves as some of the more rational and accepting high school entities. However, when it comes to what would seem to be basic social decency, SPHS is lacking: students frequently and blatantly bully special needs students with
little to no remorse or even thought. The actions against students with special needs are not bullying in the traditional sense. There are no hateful words scrawled across bathroom stalls or paper airplanes with snarky remarks thrown in study hall. Instead, special needs students who are particularly enthusiastic or outspoken are lured in by other students feigning friendliness. These same students then goad on what they find to be amusing responses by keeping the special needs individual close by. For them, the bullied is a source of entertainment, as they
rejoice in their self-perceived intellectual superiority over an individual who has no way of realizing the injustice being done to them. Meanwhile, special needs students who more readily perceive malicious intent in other students are mercilessly teased, so much so that a huge majority of SPHS’s special needs population seeks sanctuary from their peers in classrooms or the library during breaks and lunch. This form of bullying is something new. It is hard for the school to pinpoint or punish, simply because the victim often
doesn’t realize he or she is a victim at all. Instead, the responsibility for solving this issue lies with the students themselves. Change cannot come until people realize just how cruel they are being. To act out against someone, to make him or her the butt of a sick string of jokes shows a fundamental lack of human compassion. So next time, before you laugh at a behavioral oddity, before you exploit naivety or mock social ineptitude, take a fraction of a second to consider the nature of your actions. Then, if you have any shred of decency, your hateful behavior won’t come so easily.
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Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Opinion
HardCore fan By Kira Gabriel Assoc. Opinion Editor The current educational system is, at its best, broken. While there are gems among the rocks, many public schools are burdened by glaring problems that stem from bad teachers, an unfair grading structure, and an inconsistent and inadequate curriculum. Due to the prevalence of these issues, the public has continually called for education reforms, pointing out all of the faults in the system. However, when the possibility for change finally comes around, people often violently protest any actual reform. With the introduction of the Common Core State Standards, there is now a chance to begin solving the endless problems in education across the nation, and yet, for some reason, those who have for so long been demanding change are tearing it apart before it has a chance to be implemented. Having zeroed in on some of the key issues, the Core Standards aim to move away from the memorization and regurgitation of facts and dates and instead focus on in-depth thinking. In order to foster such changes, group projects and required active learning will become an integral part of student curriculum nationwide. While many critics vehemently oppose the transition to the new system, the Core Standards are the first educational reform that has the potential to hold students, teachers, and schools to the same standards nationwide, an issue parents and students alike have bemoaned for years. Core Standards are the first step towards a national education system that
The Core of the issue
will eliminate selectively illiterate states and standardize a high level of teaching and critical thinking from school district to school district. American society needs young adults who are able to reason and think logically on a variety of levels, not simply regurgitate facts. Establishing deep thought and analysis as the basis of the American education system will better prepare our generation for the job market and adult life as a whole. Although the first year of implementing anything new in a huge bureaucracy is
By Heather Vaughan Copy Editor
frustrating and confusing, it does not justify our current violent aversion to change. The Core Standards are a valid attempt to, if not fix, then at least improve the education system. Instead of blocking this attempt to actually address the multitude of issues with the current system, individuals should instead focus their energies on maximizing the effectiveness of the standards by being open to their integration.
guarantee an equal education for students at different schools and ease students’ potential transition from one school district to another. Although the goal of the reforms is commendable in theory, in practice, the transition process will cause problems for current students and eliminate established, successful teaching methods.
The newly-designed Common Core State Standards are calling for all public schools to reform the way that they teach. These changes will affect everything from academic classes such as mathematics and English to electives such as art and foreign language. The standards aim to ensure that schools all over the nation teach a similar curriculum. This will supposedly
As a result of the new standards, many teachers will be required to completely restructure their classes. Even teachers with years of experience and a solid syllabus who are regarded as some of the best in their school will be forced to uproot their methods and tailor them to meet the new standards. This can be detrimental to the students, as teachers may spend several years adjusting their coursework and teaching methods. Even if teachers adapt immediately, methods and standards that are unfamiliar to students can result in less understanding, lower grades, lower standardized test scores, and less success on Advanced Placement tests. Not only does this lack of efficiency negatively affect the effectiveness of the classroom, it can hurt students’ chances of admission to the university of their choice because of low grades or unsatisfactory test scores. This may lower the high school’s Academic Performance Index, which is directly dependent on California State Test scores; this decrease would lower the funds given to South Pasadena High School by the state. These are grave consequences for what should be a beneficial process. Rachael Lee Therefore, instead of introducing school-wide reforms, schools should make an effort to help individual teachers whose students may be struggling. Having the administration focus its efforts on a few teachers and students who need guidance, rather than burden the entire faculty with unnecessary reforms, would be much more beneficial to the students and teachers alike.
Shifting counseling to a senior-centric agenda By Kelsey Hess Senior Staff Writer The SPHS counselors are perhaps the hardest working members of the faculty, taking on the most crucial aspects of a student’s academic career. In order to prepare students for the future, a college counseling department needs to run like a well-oiled machine. The college application process is the result of years spent carefully watching GPA, extracurriculars, SAT and ACT scores, and should take priority among the counselors. The counseling department dedicates a considerable amount of time to preparing underclassmen for the college application process, keeping the counselors in a constant time crunch. As a result of past budget cuts, there are only four counselors for the entire student body, averaging almost 400 students per counselor. Some SPHS students’ college applications paid the price of our counselors being overwhelmed—myself included. For some public schools, but
mainly private schools, SPHS students reported complications with colleges receiving transcripts. Some colleges requested transcripts multiple times via personal e-mail and a phone call, some students were deferred to regular decision from early admission, and a few students even had applications revoked entirely. To avoid similar complications with applications and to de-stress our-
selves and our counselors, the SPHS counseling department needs to block out November through the end of January as time to focus on the seniors. By keeping underclassmen away from counselors except in emergencies, applications will be the counselors’ only
focus and can be sent without a hitch. Spending months preparing underclassmen for college applications is pointless if applications do not get the attention neccesary once senior year rolls around. Additionally, until applications turn fully electronic, counselors should send out high school transcripts in bulk to all applied schools. All student transcripts being sent to USC, for example, should be placed in one envelope to be recieved together. In addition to reducing forgotten transcripts, this would give counselors a timeframe for transcript delivery and allow students to be aware of errors before being notified by the college. It is not fair for students to be shut out of their possible dream colleges because the transcript submission process wasn’t as smooth and reliable as it should have been. No applicant deserves to fall through the cracks when applying to college, and SPHS needs to create a senior-centric agenda from November to January to reduce stress and increase success among students.
Students sound off on the little things that make their skin crawl, give them the heebie jeebies, and just plain drive them insane. Did your pet peeves make the list? “I hate it when people ‘change their profile picture’ again to the same current photo. We all know that you are trying to get more likes. Lucky for you guys I’m not going to publish the list of people who have committed this heinous crime, but multiple offenders will be called out in the next issue.” -Amy Choi, 10th “I hate it when people say ‘whatevs’ because ‘whatever’ already expresses indifference and shortening it just shows that you are too indifferent to be completely indifferent. I mean, why can’t you just finish your indifference?” -Wen Zeng, 12th “I hate it when the faculty tries to make CSTs fun with prizes that I don’t win.” -Jake Levy, 9th “I hate that it took so long to download Rosetta Stone... now I don’t even feel like learning Korean. #firstworldproblems.” -Derek Wang, 11th “I hate it when everyone is sitting at a table together and they’re all on their cell phones. Like, at a table together, texting.” -William Jones, 12th
Opinion
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
7
Applying smart economics to prom ticket pricing By Amber Laird Copy Editor
Rachael Lee
Amanda Stewart
Enlightening the narrow-minded By David Yang Staff Writer A 2010 study performed by the Pew Research Center sampling 3,412 Americans discovered that 53 percent of the respondents did not know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist and that 55 percent did not know that the four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 46 percent did not know that the Koran is a sacred text of Islam. High school is often a microcosm of society at large, so these findings infer that American high school students are largely ignorant of various religions. Ignorant adults, after all, were once ignorant students. To combat this ignorance, South Pasadena High School needs to establish a religious studies class in which students can learn about and perhaps come to understand the wide range of faiths practiced today. Just as cultural and racial tolerance can only truly be taught through experiences with unfamiliar ethnicities and cultural practices, religious tolerance is the product of exposure.
An intellectual grasp of various religions is no substitute for deep conversations with individuals who profess that faith, but understanding the basic tenets of other religions is vital for discussions regarding belief systems. This, in turn, can have profound effects on the quality and depth of a student’s discussion and reasoning skills regarding politics and international affairs, as well as a better of understanding of his or her peers. Even if one does not chose to follow any religion, knowledge of culture and ide als can help him or her better understand and accept those who do. Similarly, those very devout in a given faith might benefit from seeing common ties to other religions and become well-rounded, more rational individuals in the process. The religious diversity on campus is highly conducive to forming a base of tolerance in students. Adding a religion class to give students an in-depth knowledge of other faiths would facilitate educated religious, political, and cultural discussion and understanding that would extend from the classroom to the future.
No one expects prom tickets to be cheap. South Pasadena High School ASB members always purchase a classy venue, quality food, a good DJ, decorations, and any other activities that may be available at the dance. Still, some adjustments in SPHS’s pricing policy could result in increased revenue for the Associated Student Body, and even more importantly, more satisfied dancegoers. The 2013 Prom tickets are expensive even by SPHS standards. They started out at $65 SAC and $75 non-SAC the first week then increased in price on a weekly basis. While these prices are similar to those of other schools in our area, they are still causing students financial distress. Some students are set on going to prom and will buy a ticket no matter what, but not everyone is able to abide by the same mindset. Many students would like to go to prom, but can’t afford to or think the experience isn’t worth the cost. Lowering prices overall would bring in new revenue from this demographic. Instead of lowering prices across the board, SPHS could adopt the more innovative policy of giving couples a discount when they buy two tickets at once. Adding couple’s pricing would up the number of tickets sold, thereby upping the income. Students would be encouraged to ask their crush or drag a friend along if they knew they could save a few dollars. This would mean more people attending the dance, and more money for ASB. Still, the most logical change to be made to the pricing policy is to eliminate the extra cost for out-
of-towner (OOTER) tickets (which were $85 during the first week). SPHS is the only school in the area that charges outside students more for prom tickets. This is not only unreasonable, but also likely comes at a great cost to ASB. Someone who wants to take his or her sweetheart from another school to prom will be spending a minimum of $150 on tickets alone. For some, that is no problem, but for many, it’s too much to spend on just one night. For a couple split between schools, one prom is probably enough, and the couple will probably choose to attend the prom that is cheaper. ASB should encourage students to bring out-of-town dates to dances, because with an OOTER date, just one SPHS student brings in the revenue of two. Not only would reformed prom ticket pricing policies encourage more students to attend prom and reduce complaining about prices, it’s also just smart economics.
Annie Lu
Tiger Newspaper Asks:
College Board is planning to make changes to the AP Chemistry and AP Physics curricula, and SPHS is making similar course changes
in response. In chemistry, a new honors course will be introduced as a highly recommended precursor to AP Chemistry. AP Physics B will be split into two classes. Do you think this will be a help or a hindrance to AP students? Will the modified courses result in better AP scores and more in-depth knowledge, or do you feel it will undermine the academic rigor which is currently associated with AP courses? Amanda Wen, Grade 11
Austin Chee, Grade 12
I think extending the requirements for these AP classes will be beneficial in the long run as far as test scores are concerned. Taking a year’s worth of material and studying it for two would be much more thorough and in depth. Naturally, students would perform better on the AP test. However, for the students who take rigorous honors and AP classes in order to strengthen their academics and expose themselves to a wider variety of subjects, this would be a hindrance. They would lose the opportunity to take more classes and broaden their experiences in the different fields of academics.
Having a new honors course as a highly recommended precursor to AP Chemistry is definitely something I would endorse. For many, AP Chemistry is by no means an easy course. I believe that those less prepared for the rigor or difficulty of an AP class would definitely benefit from this. However, I do not believe that such a [class] should become the deciding factor as to whether somebody is chosen to be in AP Chemistry or not. I believe that there are many intelligent students who would perform very well in AP Chemistry next year without being essentially forced to take a prerequisite course. However, I believe that the summer course for AP Chemistry should still be kept as required, because it covers a lot of essential material for the course, and serves as a good preview to the sort of rigor that is to come in AP Chemistry. If College Board plans to split the AP Phyiscs B test into two separate, fulllength AP tests, I also approve of the corresponding split in AP Physics classes as this would result in more material and depth needing to be covered. However, if the test is simply being split like the Physics C tests, then AP Physics should be kept the way it is, because a good score on the AP Physics C tests is doable within a year if a student applies themselves, so Physics B should be
YaeJi Choi, Grade 10 It is beneficial for students to be given a precursor course or for a course to be divided, due to the extra time and instruction provided. However, it is also true that students take a personal challenge to strive for the AP courses that are made available. I believe there isn’t a strong need to divide or require a precursor course for AP studentsthe rigor is also a part of the course that students learn to deal with.
no different. Perhaps a more rigorous summer courseload or a more difficult early/first-day test would serve as a better deterrent for students who are not prepared to complete coursework in AP Physics. Jeffrey Xiong , Grade 11 The change in length of the AP Physics and Chemistry is an unwise decision. The main challenge I had with these courses was the amount of time necessary to absorb and understand this information – but the extra time is more of a curse than a blessing. While extending the curriculum to cover two years may give students time to learn and understand, it detracts from the rigor and difficulty of the course. With these changes, it loses its integrity as a challenging course. Furthermore, it has the potential to throw off students as it forces them to choose starting freshman year what science route they want to take. Alyssa Naritoku, Grade 12 Classes are called “Advanced Placement” for a reason. Why water it down for people if so many are not struggling as it is? If students are struggling, it just means that those individuals should not have taken the class. Classes should not be split into two year courses; that
just makes the class even longer and pointless. The problem of so much material being covered in so little time is addressed by the teacher; it does not need to be altered if the teacher is already successful. AP classes are college level classes. It is supposed to be hard. I took both classes and had no trouble. Why do this to many more future students who will have, equally, little to no trouble... The honors level course for AP Chemistry is a good idea for those to test out the class, but AP Physics is a great class as it is, it should not be taken out all together. Add AP Physics C if anything. To copy other schools’ methods shows a lack of understanding on the administration’s part. It demonstrates that they do not know the successful body of students that constitute our school. Jenna Park, Grade 11 It undermines the academic rigor which is currently associated with AP courses. AP courses are meant to be extra challenging and if students don’t believe that they have the ability to learn at an advanced pace, then they shouldn’t be taking that class. Splitting an AP class into two separate classes makes it no different from a regular class such as Spanish 3/4 and Spanish 5/6.
8 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Prom Preppin’
Pre-Prom Eateries
Since the Skirball Cultural Center is a half hour drive from home, head over to the West Side in the early evening to avoid rush hour traffic. Prom offers a full buffet, but if you’re looking from something a little more exotic, try one of these restaurants for a comfortable and delicious pre-dance meal.
Lemonade
Anti-Prom Ideas
Don’t have a date, are an underclassman, out of money, or just not feeling the prom vibe this year? Here are a couple of prom night activities of all price ranges for those not inclined to the masquerade.
Chinese food & classic literature
Bamboo Cuisine 4.5/5
4/5
145 S Barrington Ave. Los Angeles $$ Street Parking The Brentwood sister of the popular Pasadena café, this deli has a wide selection of delicious sandwiches, soups, and, appropriately, lemonade.
14010 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks $$ Street Parking It’s a little hike from the Skirball Cultural Center, but this restaurant is widely regarded as the best Chinese food in the valley. They’re best known for their rice soup.
Donut King
Nomura Sushi
4.5/5
4.5/5
14851 Victory Blvd. Van Nuys $ Private parking lot This dive serves an interesting combination of donuts, burgers, and boba. Whether you’re looking for a meal, a snack, or a post-dinner drink, Donut King has it all.
14622 Ventura Blvd. Los Angeles $$ Validated Parking Lot A traditional sushi joint with new creations every day, Nomura Sushi is the pride of the West Side. It’s typically packed, so be sure to get there early to beat the crowd.
Anarbagh
Locanda Veneta 4.5/5
Happiest Place on Earth Whether with a date or a group of friends, make the 45 minute drive down to Disneyland in the early afternoon. Enjoy the attractions in the evening, devour a turkey leg for dinner, and stay for the midnight firework display. Cost: $87 per person Dress it Up: In the early days of the park, Disney-goers dressed up for theme park. Go a la Disney’s “Dapper Day” and dress in traditional 60s wear.
Golfing with Class
4/5
17312 Ventura Blvd. Encino $$ Private parking lot Though slightly off the beaten path, this relatively new restaurant specializes in traditional Indian cuisine. Page by Sofi Goode. Text by Sofi Goode and Kealia Hudson. Illustrations by Amanda Stewart, Evan Davis, and Annie Lu. Photos courtesy of Yelp.com.
8638 W 3rd St. Los Angeles $$$ Valet Parking With a traditional cozy, Italian ambience, Locanado Veneta is a perfect pre-prom date location. The restaurant is small and welcoming with authentic food and great service, but a reservation is recommended.
Head down to the Arroyo for minigolfing, but make sure you’re dressed for the occassion. Boys, we expect sweatervests and fancy shoes; girls, you’re responsible for tea dresses and pearls. Cost: $10 per person Dress it Up: Give each person a card with an aristocratic identity and traits. Challenge yourself to stay in character all night.
Seniors Moises Aguirre and Yvonna Barrinetos have watched every episode of “How I Met Your Mother” together. Last Friday, Aguirre created his own page of the Playbook to asked Barrinetos to prom, “The Yvonna” involved an elaborate card trick, Barney’s marriage proposal, and balloons. “When he pulled out the cards, I thought he was going to ask me with a magic trick. But then I walked into the room and it was just an ‘oh my God’ moment,” said Barrientos.
Clem Witherall & Shine Cho
Daniel Patterson, a senior and licensed pilot, took his girlfriend junior Leah Zeiger up for a ride in an airplane. Patterson flew the plane over the high school campus, where he had placed signs visible from the air asking Zeiger to prom. “I was hoping that he would ask me because he was dropping hints about it the week before. When he did I was so shocked that he went through all that trouble!” Zeiger said. “I started laughing and could barely stop saying ‘oh my God’ in time to say yes!”
Making “Fetch” Happen
Kenneth RodriguezClisham & Irene Siao
Yvonna Barrinetos
Daniel Patterson & Leah Zeiger
Buy a feast of snacks and drinks and rent Mean Girls for the night. Set up an array of non-alocholic shots (Coca Cola, hot sauce, M&Ms, etc.) and drink every time an infamous quote is said. Cost: Free Dress it Up: Make your party Wednesday themed! Head over to Target and buy pink footie pajamas for everyone.
Popping the Question
Moises Aguirre & Yvonna Barrinetos
Leah Zeiger
Grab a couple of friends and drive down to Arcadia’s Din Tai Fung for amazing dumplings. After your meal, head over a block to the Santa Anita mall and catch a late showing of Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Great Gatsby. Cost: $35 per person Dress it Up: Make a trip to Out of the Closet and buy cheap costumes to spend your night as the cast of Gatsby.
For his birthday earlier in the year, Cho bought Witherall a 500-piece, 3D puzzle of Big Ben that they spent five hours putting together. To return the favor, Witherall presented Cho with roses and a puzzle of his own (albeit a much simpler one) that he painted himself. “I will be the first to admit that I possess limited artistic ability, so I was nervous about botching the puzzle,” Witherall said. “Luckily it came out nicely, and I’m glad she didn’t find my way of asking to be too puzzling!” Rachael Garner
Senior Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham customized his own Build-A-Bear stuffed monkey and gave it to sophomore Irene Siao on the day of their eighteen-month anniversary. When Siao squeezed the monkey, RodriguezRachael Garner Clisham’s voice, which he had recorded in the store, asked her to prom. “I was so shocked and happy at the same time,” Siao said. “I’ve never heard of anyone being asked this way, so it was really sweet and special.”
Ryan Stone & Rachael Garner
Jennifer Orr
Over the weekend, senior Ryan Stone and several friends spent an hour and a half making stuffed a paper whale. On April 17, Stone presented it to junior Rachael Garner on the Tiger Patio and asked the classic pun “Whale you go to prom with me?” “Rachael is just a wonderful person and I’m so glad that she said yes,” Stone said. “Prom is going to be a whale of a good time.”
Logan Wong & Nina Acebo
Junior Logan Wong enlisted the help of several friends to help him ask sophomore Nina Acebo. Wong arranged for Acebo to be sent a call slip to pull her out of her fourth period class. As she left the room, his friends held up signs that instructed Acebo to follow arrows that led her to Wong, who held the final sign and a single rose. “I really liked the way he asked me,” Acebo said. “But when I was pulled out of class I thought I was in trouble!” Irene Siao
Feature
Feature
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
9
Out and About Enjoy your Friday afternoon with Arizona Iced Tea, courtesy of the sophomore class officers. Bring a dollar to the main gym after school today for a cool, refreshing drink and celebrate a break from the CSTs. /Rhian Moore
Orchestra and band place in Heritage By Jordan Xiao Staff Writer
Siria Medina
Sophomore Julia Primuth and junior Sophie Negrini play supporting roles in this year’s musical, Sweeney Todd, which is about a man’s revenge on those who had him jailed. The production opens tonight and will run April 26-27 and May 3-4.
Talented cast carries Sweeney Todd to success By Natalie McLain Opinion Editor 4/5
South Pasadena High School’s production of Sweeney Todd started out with a bang this year—or rather, with a piercing whistle. A long line of cast members took to the stage as the orchestra pit cast an eerie aura in combination with the darkness on the stage above. This spectral feeling set the tone for the rest of the production, which opens to the public tonight at 7 P.M in the SPHS auditorium. As most theatre aficionados know, Sweeney Todd is deliciously dark, a refreshing deviation from the traditionally lighthearted plays South Pasadena has chosen as spring musicals in the past. SPHS students stepped up to the challenge of a denser, more serious script quite well, with lead junior David Yang stealing a good por-
tion of the spotlight with his stellar vocals and acting. All of the actors were in sync with each other, and even those taking on smaller roles were excellent vocally. Particular commendations go to sophomore Julia Primuth, whose voice never faltered or cracked despite the surprisingly high notes she hit. Senior Ryan Stone was similarly entertaining, adding a significant amount of comedic relief to an otherwise dark play. However, the key component to the play’s success was its ability to conjure and maintain a consistently dark and edgy atmosphere. Not enough praise can be given to the orchestra, that performed perfectly throughout the play—at times, the audience members may find themselves paying more attention to the music than to the acting. In addition, the entire play took place on a single set, and various spotlights were the only partitions used to sepa-
rate scenes. This simplicity in design drew more attention to the acting itself, and allowed for interesting interaction between actors through simultaneous scenes and overlapping songs. The production, however, was not without its flaws. There were points at which some of the actors’ British accents bordered on comedic. And despite the aforementioned musical aptitude of the orchestra, the music was at times overwhelming when combined with harmonizing from three or four different singers. With aesthetically pleasing costumes, compelling scene chemistry, and just a peppering of profanity, SPHS’s production of Sweeney Todd was definitely an attentiongrabber. Students still unsure of whether to attend should keep in mind the malicious satisfaction that is sure to come upon seeing a different teacher “killed” during every show.
After a six-hour drive to San Francisco, the music department found success at the WorldStrides Heritage Performance Festival of Gold on April 11. Orchestra placed first in the nationwide competition, and the concert and jazz bands took second and third place in their categories, respectively. Competition All three Results groups earned silOrchestra: ver level awards 89 out of 100 points based on an objecSilver medal tive point scale, with orchestra Concert Band: scoring one point 88 out of 100 points away from gold. Silver medal “Last year Jazz Band: we did pretty well 85 out of 100 points in Hawaii, and this Silver medal year the kids did fine as well,” SPHS band and orchestra director Mr. Howard Crawford said. “The scores were good, and I’m satisfied with the trip.” Due to scheduling conflicts, the symphonic and concert bands were combined for the festival despite being instrumental groups of two different levels. “By having the two bands perform together, we were able to have much better instrumentation than either band would have [had] individually,” said senior Patrick Gan. “The main problem was overplaying. Aside from that, it was probably one of our best performances.” After competing on Friday, SPHS competitors attended the awards ceremony and banquet at Paramount’s Great America theme park. The students also explored Fisherman’s Wharf before returning to South Pasadena on Sunday evening. “I really enjoyed the spring trip. We went to perform for fun and experience new things,” sophomore Stanley Tan said. “Of course, the [trip] wouldn’t be possible without such great friends.”
Personality Profile: Sidney Sekula By Shyam Senthilkumar Copy Editor Even a small conversation with the quirky and eccentric senior Sidney Sekula is an experience of its own. From running the high school feminist club to dreaming of joining the Peace Corps, Sekula is an activist whose genuine concern and passion for the welfare of others spans into every aspect of her life. “Sidney got her name from Sid Vicious, but her character is about the furthest from his as possible,” said senior Max Robertson. “Sidney is kind, gentle and intelligent. She has a natural charisma and infectious amiability that she carries with her everywhere. It’s hard to imagine Sidney being rude or unkind to anyone.” Sekula’s inherent charm has allowed her to grow a large group of close friends to whom she is fiercely devoted. This spring break, when Sekula and her family made a trip to
Mexico, she made an effort to go out and buy unique trinkets and toys for each of her friends. However, Sekula’s memorable bargain hunting was not the most significant part of her trip. It was her first time out of the United States, and gave her the opportunity to witness a completely different lifestyle. “It was really an eye-opening experience. Mexico is an amazing place but there was so much poverty. It made me realize how lucky I am to be living in the beautiful South Pasadena,” Sekula said. “You see people complain every day about the lunches they’re having or the clothes they wear, and they just don’t realize how easy they have it.” While Sekula spends most of her lunches on the Tiger Patio with her friends, every Thursday she relocates to Spanish teacher Mr. Joshua Whitney’s room for a Feminists Unite club meeting, one of her various school activities. As vice presi-
dent of the club, she is dedicated to hosting weekly meetings and fostering in-depth discussions about the women’s rights movement; the club has not missed a gathering yet this school year. “We have a meeting every week where we discuss any issues dealing with women’s rights and events that are important to us. It is a worthwhile experience,” said Sekula. Her interest in the well-being of others, natural compassion, and drive to fight for what she believes in all factor into Sekula’s future plans. She is currently deciding between working as an agricultural volunteer or as part of youth and community development. “In life I have realized that I am happiest when I am helping others. I have done my research and I think that once I have a degree I’m going to join the Peace Corps,” SekuSiria Medina la said. “I’m looking for a way to Senior Sidney Sekula hopes to one day travel around the give back.” world as part of the Peace Corps, helping those in need.
10 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Feature
Middle school performs 42nd Street for community By Heather Vaughan Copy Editor The curtain of South Pasadena Middle School’s auditorium rose last weekend to reveal a stage full of energetic, talented students performing 42nd Street, this year’s spring musical. The show opened on Friday, April 19 with additional performances on April 20 and 21. Longtime drama teacher Ms Marion Tompkins directed the production. The show followed the production of the fictional musical Pretty Lady, headed by renowned director Julian Marsh (Dawson Galluzzi). In a messy series of events, the leading actress, Dorothy Brock (Kate Kutzer), is unable to perform, so amateur Peggy Sawyer (Olivia Feldman) must quickly take her place, guided by dancer Maggie Jones (Cindy Tsai) and co-star Billy Lawler (Declan Chin).
A variety of finely tuned musical numbers were showcased in this show within a show, which dramatizes both the stresses and the joys behind the scenes of a musical. Despite the participants’ youth, the show flowed cohesively and exhibited the impressive capacity and dedication of the students. In addition to the cast, the show included a full stage crew of middle school students. The SPMS band accompanied the show with the traditional overture. Tompkins was pleased with the overall outcome of the performances. According to her, preparation for the show was short compared to other years, and efficiency was key in the production. “I thought it went really well,” Tompkins said. “There was a lot of parent support, and the kids put in so much time. I’m very proud, and they all should be as well.”
Preview: Yosemite 52 students. 5 teachers. A week in one of the most scenic national parks on the country. The Yosemite trip is one of the highlights of senior year—but only for those willing to go through the training for a trip to the wilderness.
“I think why I keep coming back every year is because it’s unscripted; it’s spontaneous and is an environment where creativity is encouraged. For lots of people it’s not walking up a hill that’s the challenge, it’s being in an entirely new environment.” — Mr. Joshua Whitney “Training sessions were painless [and] often fun. In the mornings we went on runs, often times in the hills. It was tough but pretty awesome once you got to look across the entire San Gabriel Valley during a time of the day that the average high schooler would otherwise never be exposed to. — Austin Kahn
“I’m really looking forward to being placed into an environment other than school where I can be with my fellow seniors. I’m excited to have the opportunity to spend quality time with the people I’ve essentially been with since kindergarten.” — Paul Messana “I am most excited to have some personal reflection time in the wilderness because I tend to get so caught up in all my school work. I am most worried about twisting my ankle!” — Will Jones “I tend to have trouble disconnecting from my phone [or] the Internet, and it stresses me out a lot of the time. I’m definitely looking forward to not having access to those things for at least a few days.” — Vesta Javaheri
A typical training session...
Text by: Rhian Moore, Petra Barbu, & Sarah Stukan
Morning: 2-mile run in the hills (approx. 40 minutes) Afternoon: Run in Lacy Park, ultimate frisbee (approx. 1 hour)
To see what has happened in the story so far, visit tigernewspaper.com.
Photos by: Rachael Garner
I Love You: a dark and dreamy sound By Rhian Moore Feature Editor 3.5/5
Personality Profile: Ryan Smith By Sofi Goode Editor-in-Chief Every day, senior Ryan Smith sits down at his computer, signs onto the New York Times website, and completes the daily crossword puzzle. On Mondays, when the puzzles are the easiest, though by no means simple, this entire process can take Smith less than 10 minutes. “I started getting really into [crosswords] last summer when I was given a stack of New York Magazine,” Smith said. “I have a lot of random trivia knowledge that really helps with the puzzles, and I started designing my own around the beginning of the school year.” Crosswords must have rotational symmetry, and Smith prefers to build his around some sort of theme. Making a fully-fledged crossword takes him about seven hours. “You start with the black squares and then fill in the longer words, sometimes with a theme or pun,” Smith said. “I made one called ‘Meow,’ where all of the longer answers had the word cat in them, like ‘catastrophic.’” Smith’s interest in crosswords stems from a larger love of language in general. He is a book collector, an avid cinema and theater attendee, and a music enthusiast. “I actually really like rap,” Smith said. “Eminem has a really technical beat and a love of words. Rap is a really rigid form of poetry; it’s aesthetic but it also tells a story.” Story telling is another of Smith’s passions. Recently, he’s been on a noir kick, and has written several dark crime short stories. In the future, he hopes to
publish one of his stories or crosswords. But despite Smith’s clear talent for and love of language, he is best known around campus as a math guy. Every afternoon, from 2:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M., he tutors in Mrs. Ruth Moonesinghe’s room. “I’m an off-the-books T.A.,” Smith said. “If I’m good at something, I like to help people with it. I also get to meet and talk with lots of people that I never would otherwise.” Though his broad range of interests is time-consuming, interacting and connecting with others is one of the ultimate goals of Smith’s academic pursuits. “I like to share things with people and have them gain experience from things that I enjoy. It’s important to have a broad base of knowledge because you
can really connect with other people based on their interests,” Smith said. Next year, Smith will be attending Stanford University, where he was accepted early action in December. Though he has not yet decided what he wants to study, Smith is leaning towards a specialty of engineering, preferably with a hands-on aspect. With goals ranging from getting a degree, to traveling the world, to publishing his works, to finally watching Series 3 of BBC’s Sherlock, Smith certainly has a busy life ahead of him. This genius writer, with a passion for learning and a knack for the daily crossword, has genuine kindness in his heart and is certain to carry the success he has found in high school on to the rest of his life.
Sophia Arriola
A person browsing senior Ryan Smith’s Facebook timeline will notice his crossword puzzles, which are themed and rotationally symmetrical.
The band played at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and this week marks the release of its debut album—The Neighbourhood is slowly but surely garnering fame in the music world. The California-based band’s signature black-and-white image, a trademark that persists in all of its photos and videos, is a strikingly accurate representation of the melancholy tones and soaring instrumentals that dominate the newly released I Love You. In its first album, the band has found an ambient combination of indie rock and hip-hop that almost transcends to a different genre entirely. The album opens with “How,” a five-minute track that introduces a sultry sound, with echoing synths and pulsing drums. The instrumentals perfectly complement vocalist Jesse Rutherford’s addictive voice. “W.D.Y.W.F.M.” and “Alleyways” also stand out with strong vocals against an impressive track. However, Rutherford has room for improvement as a lyricist, as some lines from the lead singer seem as though an angsty teenager had written them. The aggravated “Afraid” or paranoid “Everybody’s Watching Me (Uh Oh)” are both tracks that boast sensational sound but sport an immature and lackluster message. The Neighbourhood has successfully established its distinctive sound, but its primary weakness is a failure to branch off from this style. The big sound that the band aims to achieve recurs throughout the album, resulting in similarities among many of its songs. The background instrumentals, though far from noise, often cloud the vocals and make the tracks too cluttered. The highlights of I Love You are the songs that possess a different style and feeling, such as the memorable chorus in the ending track “Float,” or the catchy and upbeat “Sweater Weather” that boosted The Neighbourhood into the spotlight early last year and remains one of the band’s best songs. The Neighbourhood has successfully distinguished itself from the haze of bands in the indie landscape with I Love You. It is still, however, clearly a novice album: while the songs are a breath of fresh air, they are too alike to one another for enough variety.
Feature
this month in
Pop Culture
films
albums
Iron Man 3 (5/3) Lady Antebellum: Golden (5/7) The Great Gatsby (5/10) Vampire Weekend: Modern Star Trek Into Darkness (5/17) Vampires of the City (5/14) 30 Seconds to Mars: Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (5/17)
concerts
Paramore at the Wiltern (5/1) The Killers at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (5/2) Sara Bareilles at the El Rey Theatre (5/14)
By David Yang Staff Writer Violent sights, smells, and sounds forcibly rammed their way into the kitchen as juniors Henry Sue and Matthew Chan collided in a cook-off. It was an epic clash of European versus Asian cuisine, with Chan preparing Beef Wellington with a bananas flambé dessert and Sue preparing a “traditional Taiwanese dinner” composed of steamed brown rice with ground beef, a carrot, cabbage, and beef strip sauté, and mango ice cream with fresh mango and strawberry on top. Chan’s dish began with chaos as he rushed to simultaneously prepare the mushroom sauce for the Beef Wellington as well as the brown sugar sauce for the banana flambé. “I think that I may have accidentally bought beef round for the Beef Wellington,” Chan said. “It might be too tough, but it was on sale.” His optimism did not manage to settle my frazzled nerves nor the caramel sauce that began to smoke on the stove. Small tendrils of smoke wandered away from the sauce as it over-caramelized and burned. In contrast, Sue’s sure and steady handling of his ingredients reflected his past experience with the meal. “I probably cook something like this five out of seven days every week,” Sue said. Sue then mixed together 80% ground beef, white pepper, salt, soy sauce, and torani vanilla over medium heat. He sliced his vegetables into bite-sized pieces and sautéed them with thinly sliced strips of meat before plating the rice and beef on one platter and the vegetables on another. Meanwhile, after preparing his mushroom sauce and searing his slab of beef round, Chan placed both onto a sheet of puff pastry and sealed the two together for the oven. He then sliced and cooked some bananas in the caramel sauce and topped them off with whipped cream. Chan’s Beef Wellington turned out to be flavorful and the bananas flambé delicious, though in the end we determined Sue as the overall winner of the cook-off due to his balanced use of ingredients and timely preparation. The best dish need not be the most complex—just the best executed.
Rachael Garner
Be sure to visit tigernewspaper.com for the complete recipe in this issue’s Food for Thought.
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
11
Winterguard ends season with gold By Jenny Wang Staff Writer After several grueling months of twirls, tosses, and coordinated dance movements, the 2012-2013 South Pasadena High School Winterguard team finished its season with a triumphant victory. The team has placed at every single competition this year, placing third once, second twice, and first twice. At the championships, which were held at the University of California, Irvine on April 21, the team placed second in preliminary competition and later took first place in finals. For the four senior Guard captains—Moises Aguirre, Angela Peng, Leeza Kao, and Yvonna Barrientos— the victory was a grand finale for their high school Winterguard careers. “Everyone was crying tears of joy, especially us seniors, when we received our medal,” Barrientos said. “All our hard work paid off, from the often thirteen-plus-hours-a-week practices this semester to all [the] blood and sweat we sacrificed to build this guard from literally the lowest division of single A to three divisions higher, and to
EOVER heard
finally being rewarded with first place.” The members of Winterguard credit their success this season largely to the innovation and dedication of their coach, Ms Courtney Cheyne. Cheyne personally choreographs all of the routines for both Winterguard and Colorguard, Winterguard’s fall counterpart. The shows are specifically designed to showcase each guard member’s talents. Unfortunately, the end of the season also marks the team’s loss of five talented seniors. All of the captains have participated in both Colorguard
and Winterguard for all four years of high school, and currently make up the core of the program. Though the loss of such experience will weaken the team in the upcoming season, the seniors, as well as current members, have high hopes for their team to stay strong and succeed next year. “I know by the time [the returning members are] seniors, their skills will have surpassed all of us because they are just so talented and have more years ahead of them to grow,” said Peng. “I’m excited to come back and see the show they put out next year.”
The season in review March 2 March 16 March 30 April 6 April 20 April 21
Valencia High School Bellflower High School Citrus Hill High School Mayfair High School Championships: Edison HS Championships: UCI Bren Center
2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st
Heard something funny or bizarre lately? Be sure to let us know at tigernewspaper.com.
Illustrations by Amanda Stewart
Oblivion is a dose of classic science fiction By Andrés García Staff Writer 4/5
In a summer packed with remakes and sequels, it is refreshing to have an original story kick off the season. Though most of the story is easily predictable, Oblivion follows an entertaining potboiler, contains a few suspenseful plot twists, and boasts incredible visual effects. Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is a security repairman who overhauls drones that defend what is left of Earth in the year 2077 from an alien race known as the Scavengers. 66 years earlier, Earth was nearly destroyed by a nuclear war against the alien species, and now mankind must extract the last vital resources from Earth before they leave the planet behind. The plan goes awry when Harper’s visions of a mysterious woman, Julia (Olga Kurylenko), become reality as she crash-lands into his life and turns it upside-down. Tom Cruise’s performance is entertaining and intensely believable; it seems as though he has perfected the role of the archetypal hero with the fate of humanity in his hands. His
courtesy of buubi.com
Tom Cruise’s latest action film is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been forced to evacuate Earth following a Scavenger invasion. scenes with Victoria (Andrea Riseborough), Harper’s navigator and love interest, are some of the most entertaining and emotional in the film. In contrast, the moments with Kurylenko are the worst as the actress fails to adequately display any emotion other than confusion. Unfortunately, Cruise’s acting could not make up for the final sequence of the film, during which screenwriters rushed to cram sci-fi action into the storyline. Many of the developments were thought-provoking and ingenious, but were presented too rapidly for the audience to fully digest
them. Instead, they make Oblivion’s finale seem rushed, while the rest of the film feels too long. The film’s main strengths are its impressive landscapes and visual effects, filled with eye-popping scenery of a post-apocalyptic world. Nothing less could be expected from director Joseph Kosinski, who made his debut with Tron: Legacy (2010). Though Oblivion suffers from its length and ambitions, and has a foreseeable plot, it is perhaps the most visually impressive film of the year so far, and pays homage to 1970s science fiction classics.
Feature 12 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013 La Monarca: a local slice of Mexican cuisine are sold whole or as individual slices, with a single slice of any cake completely worth its $4.50 price tag. One of the most purchased items is the Café Oaxaca specialty coffee, which is a combination of espresso, Mexican chocolate, and milk. La Monarca’s coffee beans are imported exclusively from Oaxaca, Mexico, and are ground Siria Medina The iced cinnamon coffee and dulce de leche cake are two of fresh daily at the bakery. The many delicious treats at the newly opened La Monarca Bakery. iced cinnamon coffee and the ice-blended mocha are the perfect chilled drinks for a hot spring day. By Madison Amido and Emily Markese La Monarca’s main drawback is its lack of main Tiger Staff dishes. While it provides a large selection of baked 4/5 goods and specializes in cultural dessert, these items cannot combine into a satisfying complete meal. The A recent addition to South Pasadena’s numer- bakery is great for a small breakfast or a snack, but is ous and diverse cultural eateries is La Monarca Bakery not a fulfilling option for lunch or dinner. However, if you are looking to indulge in and Café. The bakery, nestled on the southeast corner of Mission Street and Meridian Avenue, offers a multi- Mexican cuisine close to home, but not on the hunt tude of freshly made traditional Mexican pastries, spe- for a totally filling meal, La Monarca is the perfect place to buy authentic Mexican coffee and delicious cialty coffees, cakes, and other food items. With a welcoming atmosphere and charming baked goods. décor attracting many local customers, La Monarca is usually bustling with activity. The wide selection of breads, pastries, and cakes are presented in large glass display cases, inviting customers to grab a tray and pile on their favorite items. The ambience is casual and friendly, as employees walk around greeting customers, offering assistance, and handing out dessert samples. Among the many pastries, the conchas and molletes stand out as customer favorites. If you are in the mood for something sweet, various cakes are available for purchase, including the very popular dulce de leche and tres leches cakes. We found that all the decadent cakes we sampled had a satisfyingly balanced ratio of cake to frosting; the strawberry shortcake was especially light and packed with strawberries. All cakes
Rachael Garner
Jonathan Ceron, senior
Bruno Mars, singer
brunomarstours.net
See an uncanny resemblance between a student and a celebrity? Let us know at tigernewspaper.com. Like this comic? View it in full color at tigernewspaper.com.
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Coachella 2013
Knife Party
Only nineteen years old, British crooner Jake Bugg oozed maturity as he strummed his guitar while day turned to dusk Saturday at Coachella. Originally from Nottingham, Bugg looked at home under simple lights as the audience swayed along to his folksy, feel-good tunes. Bugg’s self-titled album debuted in the U.S. just this week, making him one of Coachella’s smartest up-and-coming choices. Fans were treated to UK favorite, diffuses.fm “Two Fingers,” a ditty that fit the festival’s free-spirited ambience. Picking up the pace, Bugg tried out “Seen It All” and “Lightning Bolt,” as fans stomped and clapped along. The teen’s shaggy hair and somber attitude only added to the overall charm of his set. Perhaps Bugg’s biggest problem was his lack of depth in material, an issue to be expcted out of a newcomer. His compsure on stage at the festival proved that this Brit’s vintage sound has the mass appeal to warrent many more tracks.
Major Lazer’s mix of reggae, dub step, and dancehall instrumentals attracted an overflow crowd to their tent Saturday evening. Their energetic, surpise filled performance was one of the biggest highlights of 2013. Joining the DJs on stage were two dancers in bikinis who added handstands, flips, and twerkmtvhive.com ing to the bass-heavy instrumentals. In their fifty minute set, the group started off slow with a sample of Rihanna’s “Stay” and closed with a remix of their fresh hit, “Get Free.” The group spent the time in between throwing out vuvuzelas and handfuls of fake cash. Other surprises included a guest appearance by rapper 2 Chainz, who performed“Bubble Butt,” as well as member Diplo rolling atop the crowd in a plastic ball. Ultimately, Major Lazer put on an extremely engaging and lively performance that left the whole crowd wanting more.
Major lazer
Jake Bugg
13
With the push of a button, Electric Dance Music megastar Knife Party took the stage and destroyed the newly improved Sahara tent. The Australian duo consisting of Rob Swire and Garth McGrillen exploded onto the EDM scene in 2011 with their unique drum and bass sound dubbed “filthy” by fans. Although always the case with Knife Party, their closing 11:30 p.m. Saturday shows proved to be particularly bass-heavy. They kicked off the performance with a new track titled ‘EDM Death Machine’ from their upcoming EP titled Haunted House which is scheduled to be released later this week. For the past several of months, Knife Party has been teasing audiences with unreleased material from their upcoming third EP, and Saturday night at Coachella was no exception. They previewed other new tracks from the EP as they occupied the headline slot. Feeding the electrohungry crowd, they also managed to make their way through their more familiar hits, playing special versions of “Centipede”, “Antidote” and “Rage Valley” and ending their set with fan favorites, “Bonfire” and “Destroy them with Lazers.” The set provided a mix of different tempos and scope of material, allowing Knife Party to prove why they are the best at what they do. billboard.com
No festival does it quite like Coachella. For the thirteenth time, Indio, California was transformed into a haven for music and the arts and brought thousands of euphoric fans through its gates. Featuring both familiar and fresh acts in its 2013 lineup, both weekends allowed SPHS students and faculty to enjoy the magic of another successful festival.
Text by Pooja Vyas, Matt DeFulgentiis, and Jessica Moog. Illustration by Annie Lu. Photos by Rachael Garner.
Coachella
The second weekend blew my mind. The DJs and artists I saw were amazing. The venue was cool and had a lot of interesting things happening. The lineup was hands-down stellar. No one I saw disappointed. Every show was intriguing and everyone I went with had a blast. Hardwell was by far the best show. I wouldn’t change anything; it was perfect. It was a great experience and everyone should at least go once in their life. -Alec Keeling, senior
It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was my first time at Coachella and it’s something I know I’ll never forget. Nighttime at the festival was surreal. The lights, the people, and all of the many art pieces made me feel like I was in a dream. It was absolute music heaven! My favorite set was The xx, closely followed by Tame Impala. They both sounded a hundred times better live. The weekend surpassed my expectations and I cannot wait to go again next year. -Ambar Velasco, senior
James Blake
cdn.lightgalleries.net
This past weekend was definitely the highlight of my senior year. I was obsessed with Major Lazer and TNGHT’s performances. Those two had the best vibe from the crowds and Lazer’s dancers added to the show. The walk from the shuttle to the venue was rough because of all the dust, but once you’re in it was obviously worth it. Everyone was so friendly and every set I went to we made friends with the other festival-goers standing all around us. They were even willing to share water and snacks. I wish I hadn’t missed sets, but you have to compromise if there’s stuff playing at the same time. Pushing to the front of all the shows wasn’t too hard either. -Sammy Amido, senior
spin.com
One of the most impressive crowds of both weekend’s events can be accredited to the reunion of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan. Marking the 20th anniversary of their first album, all eight members graced the festival’s outdoor stage to turn Coachella into self-proclaimed “Wuchella.” Drawing both burly hip hop heads and waif like teen girls, Wu Tang proved that live rap is far from dead. Their set featured black and yellow beach balls throughout the crowd and interactive chants. The group moved through complex versus in classics like “Shame on a *****” and “Protect Ya Neck” as a unit before working off each other for solo hits from members like RZA, Raekwon, and Method Man. The group seemed to leave any past disagreements offstage as they shifted Coachella’s pace and brought a new kind of rhythm to Indio. The group’s unity made for a good omen for an upcoming sixth album and an unforgettable Sunday.
Wu-tang clan
Coachella 2013 was nothing but a good time. There’s no better way to let senioritis set in. I thought they did a great job with the artwork; it felt like a California cultural event. My highlight was The Lumineers and their transitions were really fun. 2Chainz on 4/20 at 4:20 was a unique event and the only time all weekend it got a little cloudy.If I find myself in California in April some years in the future, I will certainly make my way back.
- Bryan Bernarksi, senior
Franz Ferdinand once again put on a main stage worthy performance at Coachella, despite their Mojave tent location being a downgrade from their 2009 locale. The Scottish rock band drew a fairly large considering their performance overlapped with other highly anticipated bands such as The xx and Two Door Cinema Club. The band left fans exhilarated by their ferocity and sheer energy on stage. Their lively set featured songs from their first three albums as well as some newer material. Highlights included, “Do You Want To” and their closing song, “This Fire.” Perhaps the most memorable part of the performance was ten minutes before the end of their set when all four members of the band contributed to one great drum solo, which broke out into their fan favorite, “Take Me Out.” Ultimately, Franz Ferdinand put on an entertaining show with incredible amounts of energy exchanged between the audience and the band.
images.hitfix.com
FRanz ferdinand
As the sun started to set on the final Sunday of Coachella 2013, many festival goers found themselves needing to wind down from the overpowering, perhaps electro-heavy, shows that had come and gone. Thousands of eager fans swarmed to watch English electronic music producer and singer-songwriter James Blake bare his soul to an anxious audience. Blake’s drummer, Ben Assiter, and guitar player Rob McAndrews accompanied Blake on stage creating a gorgeous, simplistic cloud of sound. While most of Coachella’s big surprises happened on the first weekend, Blake saved a rather silly surprise for weekend two, bringing Wu-Tang Clan member RZA out to perform “Take A Fall For Me,” from Blake’s new album, Overgrown. Heavy bass vibrated the air and synths glided over Blake’s voice as he played hit song “Limit to Your Love,” continuing to end the show with “Retrograde.”
2013
14 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Sports
Hannah Edens
Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham By Heather Vaughan Copy Editor On his tenth birthday, senior Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham received a gift from his uncle in the mail. Upon opening it, he found several golf clubs, an introduction to a sport he’d never played. Eight years later, what began as a relative’s hunch has become not only RodriguezClisham’s pastime, but also his passion. After playing leisurely for a few years, Rodriguez-Clisham entered his freshman year at South Pasadena determined to be a member of the varsity golf team. He and classmate Cole Teague were the only two freshmen to make the
Rachael Garner
Senior Kenneth Rodriguez-Clisham chips his way out of a sand bunker.
varsity squad. As his freshman year was his first in the district, Rodriguez-Clisham found support in the team’s camaraderie and quickly formed strong friendships. “Ever since the beginning, Cole and I have kept each other level,” said RodriguezClisham. “I’ll help him, and he’ll help me.” Despite his success, the transition from recreational play to varsity competition was difficult for Rodriguez-Clisham. “All of a sudden, there was this huge pressure to perform,” he said. “I went through a period where I would just get nervous during games, and that would hurt my score.” His progression was gradual, but by his sophomore year, Rodriguez-Clisham had become more confident in his abilities and accustomed to playing “one hole at a time.” Now, as a senior and a co-captain, he uses his own growth and experience over the past four seasons to guide his younger teammates to success. “Whenever we’re warming up before a game, if I see one of my team members struggling, I’ll try to help him as much as I can,” he said. “Keeping everybody calm, cool-headed; it’s what I try to do.” To his teammates, Rodriquez-Clisham serves as a role model and a supporter. “He has been organized and reliable since day one, and consistently keeps morale up,” Teague said. Although Rodriguez-Clisham is still unsure about whether he is going to continue playing competitively while in college, the clubs he received eight years ago made golf an integral and permanent part of his life.
Sophia Arriola
Senior team captain Hannah Edens has been swimming since the age of five. By Kealia Hudson Staff Writer Like most children, Hannah Edens did not decide to venture into athletics of her own accord. But at age five, the senior was already training for competitive swimming. “I got into swimming because my mom forced me to,” Edens said. “Well, she didn’t force me… she just highly encouraged it.” Edens enrolled in the swim program at the Altadena Town and Country Club 13 years ago. She has actively participated in the sport every year since, training at the country club as well as with the South Pasadena Sea Tigers and the Rose Bowl Swim Team. Over the years, the time commitment and the workouts grew very rigorous, but Edens’ competitive spirit triumphed as she began to enjoy the sport and the company of her teammates. “Hannah is just one if those people that is a natural leader,” said teammate junior Devin
Grab. “She’s ridiculously easy to get along with and she’s insanely hardworking.” Edens made a splash early on by earning a spot on the varsity swim team at South Pasadena her freshman year. Now a senior and team captain, she has grown into a seasoned athlete and leader who has helped guide her team through a successful season. Even with all the triumphs, Edens finds her tight relationship with her team the most appealing aspect of the sport. “I love, love, love all the girls on the swim team. As cheesy as it sounds, they are my second family,” Edens said. “Plus, we get to tan on hot days!” This optimistic nature has made Edens a successful athlete for 13 years. However, Edens does not plan swim competitively while attending American Univserity next year. “I want to pursue other opportunities in college,” said Edens. “However, swimming is—and will always continue to be—a large part of my life.”
Sports
Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Softball looks to rebound after dropping three straight By Andrew Shults Staff Writer As the spring season comes to a close, the South Pasadena High School softball team has few opportunities left to prove that it can stay competitive in the Rio Hondo league. The Tigers were crushed in their final two games against La Cañada by scores of 8-2 and 10-2. South Pas played a much stronger game against Monrovia on Tuesday, but ended up falling to the Wildcats 4-1. Senior Ashley Gentry put the first run on the board during the second inning against Monrovia. The Wildcats responded by tying the game up in their next at bats. The Wildcats scored again in the third, and twice in the fifth,
putting the game away with a final score of 4-1. “We need to limit the amount of errors and come wanting to play,” sophomore Cassie Baca said. The Tigers suffered a similar result in their previous game against La Cañada High School on April 16. The Spartans scored twice in the first and six in the second, blanking the Tigers. South Pasadena broke the shutout by scoring two runs in the sixth but La Cañada responded by putting two more runs on the board, ending the game with a 10-2 loss for the Tigers. “We have three league games left and four non-league games remaining,” head coach Mr. Ted Mureau said. “If we can
make a couple of more plays and get some additional offense going, we should do alright.” The Tigers are currently 4-13 overall and 1-8 in league, with their only win earned against Monrovia during their first matchup. With the trio of league games
remaining, the Tigers will need to step up their focus and offense if they want to be successful. Their next league game will be against Monrovia High School today at home. Check tigernewspaper.com for game coverage.
Siria Medina
Junior Chelsea Hong laces a ball up the middle.
Boys volleyball powers past Gabrielino By Matt DeFulgentiis Staff Writer Although one match remains for the boys varsity volleyball team, yesterday’s 3-0 victory over the La Cañada Spartans guaranteed South Pas the Rio Hondo League Championship for the second year in a row. Yesterday’s win was the Tigers’ second victory over what had been an undefeated La Cañada team. The Spartans have only two losses this season, both at the hands of
the Tigers. South Pas holds an impressive undefeated 7-0 record in league play. Though the victory clinched the title, the South Pas effort left much to be desired. “Not a lot went well. We had a lot of mistakes,” South Pasadena head coach Ben Diaz said. “My two big hitters put the ball away fairly well but we couldn’t do anything with that. It wasn’t great, but we got the win.” In addition to the Spartan victory, South Pasadena picked up its second victory
over Gabrielino High School this past Tuesday. Much like yesterday’s match, the Tigers got the result they desired against the Eagles, but the boys’ overall play was less than stellar; there were 36 unforced errors over the course of the match. However, South Pasadena was able to finish off the Eagles in four games. The boys got off to a quick start and won the first two sets 25-19 and 25-20. Gabrielino rebounded and took the third game 25-22, but couldn’t hold on as South
Pas squeaked by in a thrilling 29-27 victory in the fourth and final game. “We just played really sloppy,” junior Andrew Rudchenko said. “We didn’t play with the same intensity and foc us that we have been, which caused a lot of the little mistakes and errors that ended up hurting us.” The recent victories bring South Pasadena’s overall record to 21-3 this season. The Tigers will play their final league match against the San Marino Titans next Tuesday.
15
Tennis season concludes By Brandon Kim Staff Writer Boys tennis finished its season on Monday, April 22 with a loss in the Rio Hondo league finals tournament. Almost every player and double pair lost in the first round of matchups, with the exception of singles players sophomore Kartik Raju and freshman Sagar Raju, who continued to the second round before being knocked out. “We could’ve done better if we had more favorable draws, but I think it was a good experience for all of us,” senior Corey Young said. The Tigers found more success on April 19, when they defeated the Monrovia High School Wildcats 12-6. The team was able to rack up 6 wins in both singles and doubles play. Junior Jason Wang was a standout and defeated all three of his opponents with scores of 7-6, 6-3, 6-0. Freshman Casey Corvino also won two of his sets 6-4 and 6-3. In doubles, senior captains Shyam Senthilkumar and Krishna Mocherla defeated their opponents 6-4 and 6-0. The duo of junior Michael Xu and sophomore Raju took a 6-1 victory while seniors Andrew Moreno and Matthew Yeung clinched a pair of sets 6-4. Seniors Kyle Young and Young earned the final Tiger victory with a 7-6 set. Earlier in the season, the Tigers suffered a 3-15 loss against Temple City High School on April 16, only claiming two singles and one doubles match. Corvino and Raju each took a singles match while junior Ted Kim and senior David Kim teamed up to earn the final win 6-2. “Everyone worked really hard this season, since most of the players didn’t have varsity experience and I saw good potential in the underclassmen,” senior Scott Richards said.
Girls track runs away with Rio Hondo crown By Jason Wang Business Manager
Rachael Garner
Rebecca Liston passes the baton to Laura Anuakpado in the 4x400 meter relay against Monrovia.
Girls track concluded a perfect season with a fifth and final league victory over La Cañada yesterday, bringing their league championship streak into its fourth year with the 87-39 win. “The girls did reall well in all areas this year,” coach C.B. Richards said.”We had a lot more depth and it was nice to see other people step up and contribute as we have good talent across the board.” Early in the meet sophomore Rowan Leddy broke the school record for pole vault by clearing 9’3”, a record set in 2010 by Robin Laird. Specifics of the meet were not available at press time.
Before defeating the Spartans, the Tigers dominated the Monrovia Wildcats on Wednesday, April 17, taking the meet by a wide 21-point margin. The 74-53 victory was the final hurdle for South Pas to clinch the league title. Freshmen Rebecca Liston, junior Kamia Imani, and seniors Laura Anuakpado and Anika Renken took first in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:03.28. Anuakpado was a standout as she seized first place in the 200-meter as well as the 400-meter, with times of 25.27 and 56.40 seconds, respectively. South Pas also performed well in distance events. Renken won the 800-meter race with a time of 2:23.93. Junior Helena Van Loan also placed first with
a 11:48.49 in the 3200-meter. The Tigers swept the top four spots for the high jump with state champion Claire Kieffer-Wright placing first with a height of five feet flat. Junior Sloane Mitchell seized another event for the Tigers with a 35’ 11’’ in the triple jump. Leddy also took gold in the pole vault with a height nine feet flat, while fellow sophomore Sophia Hathaway earned first in the shot put with a mark of 32’7.5’’. “Overall, we all clearly knew the goal was to win,” said Anuakpado. “We stayed positive, cheered for one another, and we beat Monrovia.” See tigernewspaper.com for full coverage of yesterday’s meet.
Swim prevails in final league meet By Heather Vaughan Copy Editor The girls swim team swam to its fifth league victory yesterday, winning 132-37 against Monrovia High School, while the boys captured their third win, with a final score of 108-62. Both teams dominated the pool, earning first, second, and third place in many events. The triumphs secured the girls’ first place league victory and placed the boys in third place in Rio Hondo. Previously in league, the girls were able to secure a win in all of their meets, putting their record at a solid 5-0. They beat San Marino 94-
65, La Cañada 110-50, and Temple City 119-51. Blair High School forfeited to give South Pas another win. Girls head coach Robert Echeverria attributes the team’s success to the swimmers’ dedication. “I’m lucky to have such amazing athletes that come to me already prepared to dominate,” Echeverria said. “Our team has a lot of depth, and we’ve been training harder and better since last year,” junior Samantha Zavala said. The boys’ record has been less successful; they are now 3-2 in league at the close of the season. At their first two meets, the boys were
unable to overcome their fast opponents, falling 100-70 to San Marino and 108-68 to La Cañada. However, their three victories resulted from yesterday’s meet against Monrovia, a 94-76 win over Temple City, and Blair High School’s forfeit. Both the boys and girls teams are confident about the upcoming preliminary and final meets, which will take place on May 1 and May 3 at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center. “I expect the guys to swim their best times,” boys head coach Tyrone Brown said of the impending meets. “We’ve been improving every meet, and this is almost always the peak.”
Sophia Arriola
Junior Liza Echeverria swims her way to victory in the breaststroke for the Tigers. The girls dominated the Temple City Rams by taking the meet 119-51.
16 Tiger - Friday, April 26, 2013
Sports
Sports
Upcoming Spring Sports Games
Today: Baseball vs Monrovia @ 3:30 Today: Softball vs Monrovia @ 3:30 Monday 4/29: Volleyball @ San Marino @ 3:30
Golf falls to Spartans Andrés García and Marcy Kuo Tiger Staff
Rachael Garner
Junior designated hitter Alex Chu drives the ball to center field in South Pasadena’s 3-1 victory against Monrovia. This was only the third time in fifteen years that the Tigers have defeated the Wildcats in league play.
Baseball looking to clinch CIF berth By Jordan Xiao Staff Writer The Tigers avenged their 11-1 loss to Monrovia earlier in the season with a decisive victory over the Wildcats on Tuesday, April 23. The close 3-1 win puts South Pasadena High School in third place in the Rio Hondo league, helping them recover from two losses against La Cañada the week before. “I think it was a good win. We stayed focused and motivated throughout and our team really picked each other up, which set the tone for the game,” sophomore Paul Amerine said. Sophomore Andrew Shults was a standout and contributed heavily to the Tigers’ offense. South Pas made several minor defensive errors, but fortunately they
were not compounded into runs for the opposing team. “[It was a] very quality game; we started senior Mark Swanson on the mound, who was able to consistently get their people out, and hitting also went very well,” head coach Mr. Anthony Chevrier said. Swanson pitched almost the entire game, earning all but the last two outs. “We looked good today, but we’re still not at our full potential yet. We keep getting better as we go on,” senior Alec Keeling said. “These last three games will be important for us; we will be prepared and make the most of [them].” Despite a satisfying victory against Monrovia, South Pasadena’s previous two games against La Cañada High School ended in disappointing losses for the Tigers. South Pas lost 15-5 on April 16 and 10-4 on
April 19. In the first matchup, the Tigers performed well for the first half of the game, but lost their 4-0 lead in the final innings. Team morale was low during Friday’s game, leading to consistent mistakes and a drop in the Rio Hondo league standings. “I’m definitely not happy about the outcome, and unfortunately it’s been the same story the last few times,” Chevrier said. “We made a bunch of errors that gave them free runs; it’s just us making mistakes and giving the other team opportunities to capitalize on them.” The Tigers’ current league record is 4-5, giving the team a possibility of qualifying for CIF. The team will play a third game against Monrovia at home today and its final two final games will take place against Temple City on May 1 and 2.
Despite a strong performance from key players, the South Pasadena High School’s boys golf team lost 176-217 to La Cañada High School on April 23. Junior Henry Sue shot best for South Pas with a 36, followed by senior captain Cole Teague who finished with a 38. Although the team lost to the Spartans, the result was an improvement from the Tigers’ first meeting against La Cañada, which resulted in a 182-252 defeat. On April 16, the Tigers secured a victory over the Monrovia Wildcats in a 203-232 win at the Eaton Canyon Golf Course. The match served as an opportunity for younger players to showcase their potential and prepare for the 2014 season. Junior Angus Cheng and freshman Eddy Moon shot scores of 46 and 48, respectively. Senior captain Kenneth RodriguezClisham is optimistic about the young players taking over the team next year. “As a whole, even though the season has been rough, I think we came out fairly strong,” Rodriguez-Clisham said. “Our team is young, however, they have learned a lot throughout the season. I am confident that they will be able to carry the team in the years to come.” Although the team as a whole is not expecting to qualify for CIF, Sue along with Teague and Rodriguez-Clisham are preparing for individual playoffs. “My game is better than it has ever been, although I have plenty of ground to make up in my mental game,” Teague said. The Tigers will conclude their league season on Monday against Temple City at the Almansor Golf Course in Alhambra.
Senior hopes to be boxing hit Boys Track nabs league title Ngnibogha has turned heads as an amateur fighter By Clem Witherall Co-Sports Editor When it comes to sports, the gentle suburbs of South Pasadena typically produce more runners than fighters. So it’s surprising that one of SPHS’ most promising athletes is quietly making a name for himself in an unlikely arena: the boxing ring. Senior Bert Ngnibogha has recorded 18 wins in 19 amateur fights and intends to knock heads professionally within a year. A typical day in the not-so-typical-life of Ngnibogha consists of heading over to the Gaucho’s Boxing Club in Pasadena after school. The boxer is pushed through a grueling three-hour training session; the first hour consists of a six mile run, followed by two hours of pumping iron and sparring in the ring. “Sore” wouldn’t do Ngnibogha justice as he performs this routine seven times a week, 365 days of the year. “My dad and uncle used to box so I grew up with the sport,” Ngnibogha explains. “But I didn’t really concentrate on boxing until the beginning of high school when a coach at the gym told me I could really do something.”
The senior finds inspiration through famous boxer Floyd Mayweather, whose dedication and hard work Ngnibogha hopes to emulate. The senior’s unbelievable work ethic has brought early success. On April 6, Ngnibogha won a regional Golden Gloves tournament. “The plan is to keep fighting as an amateur, get more bouts and experience and turn professional by around the start of next year,” he said. The young boxer understands the concerns of family members about his participation in a sport as brutal as boxing. “At first, my mother didn’t want to see her boy get hurt,” Ngnibogha said. “But as long as I continue to be as committed, she’ll support me.” Even with his focus firmly on boxing, Ngnibogha will attend Cal Poly Pomona in the fall. The senior is prepared to juggle the demands of college next year while he aims to become a professional fighter. “You just have to know that it is a war in the ring,” he said. “It is either going to be me or the other guy and I won’t stop at anything until I’m the last one standing.”
Kira Gabriel and Remeny White Tiger Staff The South Pasadena High School boys track team clinched the league title with a 66-43 win against the La Cañada Spartans yesterday. “As the season progressed, our team grew bigger, deeper, and more reliable. We remained undefeated the entire season, much to the delight and surprise of our coaching staff,” head coach P.J. Hernandez said. “We could not have asked for anything more.” The Tigers secured their undefeated season with a victory over the rival the Wildcats on May 18 with a final score of 78-49. “Monrovia was and typically has been our biggest competition, especially for the sprint and jump categories,” sophomore Sam Anuakpado said. “However, the win we were able to pull off was truly a testament to the hard work put in by all levels.” The squad proved its strength in the distance events. Juniors Joshua Wilson and Tyler Gershman, and senior Tyler Armstrong swept the 1600-meter and 3200-meter events, earning first, second, and third place, respectively. Despite Monrovia’s notoriously powerful sprint team, the SPHS sprinters placed in
every event except the 4x100 meter relay. The Tigers faced the most competition in field events, but secured a top spot in every event but shotput. Sophomores Patrick Nelson and Darren Tom, along with junior Paul Song, swept the triple jump event to bring South Pasadena a decisive victory. See tigernewspaper.com for full coverage of yesterday’s meet.
Rachael Garner
Sophomore Kevin Yonami vaults over the bar in a league meet against Monrovia.